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67 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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How did Pangea break apart? |
1. Rifting of North America 2. Antarctica and Africa splitting 3. South America splits from Africa (Cretaceous) 4. Remaining separations occurs in early Cenozoic |
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Where did Orogenies move and why? |
They moved eastward due to shallowing angle of Farallon Plate subduction |
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Explain characteristics of the Triassic |
Rifting, volcanism and Newark Basin, rocks record arid southwest |
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Explain characteristics of Jurassic |
Gulf of Mexico Evaporates forming salt |
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What is the nature of the Nevadan and Sevier Orogenies |
Nevadan: Wind blown sand dunes from Appalachians via streams. Exposed at Zion, Capital reef, grand staircase escalante. Morris: Swampy plain of rivers deposits, which had 70 dinosaur species |
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What is the Western Interior Seaway |
Vast epicontinetal sea, followed by regression, it spanned from the gulf of mexico to arctic. Flooded in early cretaceous, then regressed and eroded, then flooded on a larger scale in late cretaceous |
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Why is sea level so high |
increased rat of sea floor spreading |
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What rock types are associated with the seaway (hint: Sandstone, shale, and carbonates) |
Dakota sandstone, Bentonites, Niobrara chalk, green horn limestone, black shale, Graneros shale, Carlite, Pierre Shale, chalk fine grained limestone |
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What is the nature of the Laramide Orogeny |
Mountain continues eastward as subduction angle of Farallon plate decreases; high angle reverse faults and fold; movement on older Precambrian faults with thick skinned tectonics; clastic sediments shed from western highlands into seaway |
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What is the significance of the Deccan Traps and Manson Impact? |
Deccan Traps: May have triggerd warming and contributed to extinction. Manson Impact: Impact created tsunami which rushed across south east South Dakota |
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What was the Cretaceous climate like and why? |
Sealevels 100 m higher than today (no glaciers) Higher temps because CO2 at least 4x-100x higher than today |
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What are coccoliths? |
Calcareous, forms chalks. The cretaceous "dead algae" found extensively in shallow seas |
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What are the lifestyles of bivalves, rudists, ammonites (and sutures), and belemnites. Which one formed reefs? |
bivalves: clams and oasters Rudists: Piped shaped Ammonites: Had Goniatitc, ceratitic and Ammonitic sutures Belemnites: Squid like Rudists formed reefs |
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Know the difference between plesiosaurs, mosasaurs, and ichthyosaurs |
Plesiosaurs: best known paddle swimmers, fed on fish Mosasaurs: Found in SD, fed on bids Ichthyosaurs: Top predator, bore young live, gallop around like dolphins |
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What is the evolutionary history of birds |
Started as basal archosars in late Jurassic, then learned flight and warm blooded. Went from scales to feather. First for insulation and camouflage, then aided in flight. Small theropod ancestor had feather, hallow bones and keeled breast bone. |
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Know Archaeoptery |
Transition species from theropods to birds. Wings and feathers Jaws and teeth Free finger for climbing and grasping Probably a glider, not a flyer |
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What are cycads |
Similar to modern palms Seed ferns Confers: Wollemi pines Ginkgo: living fossils |
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What are angiosperms and how they coevolved with insects and animals |
Flowering and seed plants that repoduce rapidly. They co evolved with insects by attracting them to then spread pollen. They co evolved with animals who ate the fruit then spread the seeds by pooping |
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Know the difference between Saurischians and Ornithischains |
Saurischains are lizard-hipped with two groups Sauropodomorphs were long necked plant eaters Theropods were bipedal carnivorous Ornithischians had two groups, both herbivorous Ornithopds: beaked and bipedal Stegosaurs: armored and plates, mostly quadrupedal |
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When did the two groups of Sauropodomorphs exist? |
Prosauropods: late triassic to early jurassic Sauropods: early jurassic to creataceous |
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What did Ornithischains accomplish |
Overtook Sauropods as dominant herbivores in cretaceous |
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What is the evidence for warm-bloodedness |
Bone microstructre (vascular) Grew extremely fast four chambered heart complex teeth for chewing or slicing |
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What evidence links dinosaurs to birds? |
Feathers, eggs, small theropods shared characteristics, Archaeopleryx links the two, birds new avian dinosaur |
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Give evidence for the potential causes of regression, volcanism and meteorite impact |
Regression: changed climate and ecosystem over 4 million caused by draining of epicontial seas Volcanism: Excess CO2 10k to 100k process Impact: Iridium spike, shocked quartz, Tektites (melted glass), Tsunami Deposits, Craters |
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What caused the Himalayan Orogeny |
The India plate and Eurasian plate crashed into each other and neither went other the other |
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What caused the Alpine Orogeny |
Micro-plates slammed into Southern Europe |
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What caused the Andean Orogeny |
Atlantic continues to open and the Pacific Shrinks |
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What caused the PETM |
The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum was caused by continental shift, specifically by the North American plate that released undersea methane and carbon dioxide |
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What caused the Earth to cool in the Eocene? |
It cooled because biological activity returned the greenhouse gases to the ocean floor |
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How did the South Dakota Badlands form? |
Formed by the Laramide Orogene, with the erosion of mountains, river environments depositing, and ash from volcanoes. |
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What climate transition recorded in the badlands? |
1. Started warm, forest, subtropical 2. Savanna, subtropical Grassland 3. Semi-arid Steppe |
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What organisms rebound in the oceans following the Cretaceous extinction? |
Bivalves, gastropods, sea urchins, and fish |
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What is the dominant marine predator in the Cenozoic? |
Fish, who replaced reptiles |
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What are the significance of Angiosperms and grasslands? |
Grazing animals expand, then evolved to eat grass and to become faster to avoid predators |
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What are the key features of marsupials and placentals? |
Marsupials: From late Jurassic, today's opossums, common in the southern hemisphere Placentals: From early Cretaceous, reproduce by keeping young in womb until birth |
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What are the differences and significance of these placental groups: Edentates, rodents, carnivores, ungulates |
Edentates: Toothless; armadillos and tree sloths Rodents: Gnawning, incredible range and adaptations, rapid breeding and small size Carnivores: Meat eaters, teeth that sheer and slice Ungulates: Decedents of horses; large open toed animals Ruminants: Terrestrial animals that are herbivores Cetaceans: Aquatic mammals |
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What are the trends in horse evolution |
From smaller to larger, from open toed to hoofed, from forest to harsher climates |
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Why did the Mediterranean Sea dry up? and what was the evidence |
It dried up because of the closure of the strait of Gibraltar due to plate tectonics. This is evidence by the change in marine life, a sedimentary rocks a 100 meters below sea floor, and sediment filled gorges extending from the Nile |
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What is the importance of the Isthmus of Panama? |
Connected North and South America, blocking the Atlantic-Pacific interchange that began the Northern Polar Ice caps |
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Know the primary processes involved in the Rocky Mountians |
Rocks from an older mountain eroded away and became the Rockies during a period of intense plate tectonic activity |
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Know the primary processes involved in the Colorado Plateua |
Areas around the plateau dropped while the crust thrust it up wards. Rivers then cut deeper gorges |
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Know the primary processes involved in the Cascade volcanism |
Subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate and volcanic arc |
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Know the primary processes involved in the Basin and Range Extension |
"Relaxing of the crust" following Rocky Mountain uplift, expanding the western United States 50%-100% |
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Know the primary processes involved in the San Andreas fault |
Separation of Baja California from coast and closure of the Great Valley in California |
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Compare terrestrial vs. marine records |
Terrestrial has a less reliable record because of lack of fossils, erosion and chaotic mix of sediments. Marine records are easier to data because of continuous sedimentation and abundant fossils |
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Compare 0-16 and 0-18 |
O-16 became trapped in glaciers during cold climates. O-18 is heavier so it is left behind in evaporation. More O-18 in ocean during cold, and forminifera incorporate more O-18 into shells during glacial times |
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Difference between wobble, eccentricity of orbit, and axial tilt? |
Wobble (precession) causes change in the timing of seasons; affecting poles mostly on a 26k year cycle. Eccentricity of orbit (path) is the oblong vs. circular orbit bringing the Earth closer or father away from the sun. It affects the amount of solar radiation on a 100k year cycle. Axial Tilt: (23.5 degrees) causes the seasons, it ranges from 21.5-24.5. The lower the tilt th weaker the seasonl affcts. It takes place on a 41k year cycle |
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What are the evolutionary charges in frogs |
They have remained unchanged for the 200 million years |
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What are the evolutionary changes in squamates |
Lizards and snakes are the most varied and numerous of reptiles. Snakes descend from lizards, lack limbs so they can move around in dense vegetation in tight spaces |
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What is an example of convergent evolution in mammals? |
Marsupial saber tooth cats in South America Placental Saber tooth cats in North America |
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Difference between Mastodons and Mammoths |
Mastodons existed in forests, much like today's elephants Mammoths existed in open plains |
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What are megafauna? What caused the Pleistocene extinctions? |
Megafauna are large terrestrial animals. They became extinct because of over hunting and climate change |
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What are the characteristics of primates? |
Grasping hand with opposable thumb Forward directed eyes Larger brains smaller and fewer specialized teeth |
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Describe Anthropoids |
Monkey, apes, humans that evolved in late Eocene |
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Describe Homonids |
Evolved in the Oligocene; Great apes, lesser apes |
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Describe Hominids |
Humans and ancestors |
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Describe the characteristics of Australopithecines |
Smaller brains, longer arms, walked upright |
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Describe the characteristics of Homo Sapiens |
Higher round cranium, with smaller teeth and jaws. Largest brain capacity |
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Why is fossil preservation good at East African Rift |
Rapidly eroding highlands filled valley with sediments |
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What is the hypotheses for single species human evolution |
Phyletic gradualism lead to modern humans |
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What is the hypotheses for regional contiunity evolution |
Humans evolved from Homoerectus after leaving Africa then several populations of Homosapiens evolved simultaneously in different regions |
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What is the hypotheses for "Out of Africa" evolution |
Evolution was punctuated |
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What are some of the changes that occurred as the world transitions from the ice age into the Holocene? |
Deposits of till Sea level change rebound of crust river redirection Lake formations |
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Causes of climate change in the Holocene |
ocean circulation sun cycles volcanic eruptions El Nino |
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What caused the Little Ice Age |
Decline in solar radiation |
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What caused the Medieval Warm Period |
Changes in ocean and atmospheric circulation |
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What is the Sixth Extinction |
Extinctions caused by man |
